


Dancing with Grande

by all_the_ships_are_sailing



Category: Big Brother RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-10 00:24:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4370051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_the_ships_are_sailing/pseuds/all_the_ships_are_sailing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Entirely AU. The boys don't know each other at all. Starts in early May in 2027.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If you asked him ten or even five years ago where he’d be right now, the parking lot outside the best dance school in South Florida would not have been Zach Rance’s answer. Ten years ago he would have laughed at the idea of even having a child. Five years ago he would have laughed at the idea of being a single parent to that child, but now that’s just how life was for Zach.

 

He partied his way through five years at the University of Florida, earning a degree in Economics and entrepreneurship and then through another two years of online classes to earn his MBA. He now worked for an accounting firm in Fort Lauderdale, FL just under an hour from where he grew up in Palm Beach Gardens.

 

Not long after moving to Fort Lauderdale, he was out partying with two of his old college buddies, Erik and Logan when he met the girl of his dreams. Long blonde hair, black plastic rimmed ‘nerd’ glasses and she had him laughing all night long. They left the club together and ended up naked in a hotel room rather quickly. It was to be the beginning of a long relationship by Zach’s terms.

 

They dated for nearly three years and then just as he was getting a promotion at work, Zach decided to propose to the girl. Olivia was perfect in his eyes and he was glad to have her. They got married a year later in the temple Zach grew up attending. Olivia had grown up in a non-practicing Christian household but agreed to convert to Judaism for the wedding.

 

A few years into their marriage, Olivia found herself pregnant and they were overjoyed to be welcoming a baby into their little family. Zach’s only worry was how his dog, Tiger, would react to the child, but it turned out to be a non-issue. Emma was born in late April of 2021. They were a happy family until one day in early 2023, Olivia was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. They tried everything, but in December the week before Hanukkah, she died. Zach was then suddenly a single parent to a two and a half year old daughter. Of course his parents were close enough that his mom came down to help almost every day for the first few months, but soon she was tired of travelling and Zach learned the manage on his own.

 

He dropped Emma off a daycare in the morning and picked her back up in the evenings on his way home from work. Everything ran smoothly until it was time for Emma to start kindergarten. She would be attending the local public elementary school and luckily her daycare offered an after school program.

 

One more in early May, Zach was picking Emma up from daycare when she told him she wanted to learn how to dance. “What do you mean, Emma? You already know how to dance. You’re very good at it. You definitely got your mother’s rhythm.”

 

“I want to go to Dance School like Ellie,” Emma insisted. Ellie Prince was Emma’s best friend. They went to school and daycare together.

 

“I don’t know, Emma.”

 

“Please Daddy!” she begged verging on tears.

 

“Let me talk to Ellie’s mommy about it, okay?”

 

“Okay, Daddy,” Emma said, satisfied with his response as she buckled her seatbelt. Zach sighed and turned the music on the radio up as he headed towards their rather tiny two bedroom apartment across down. Emma sang along to her favorite songs as they played and Zach watched in his rearview mirror as she danced in her seat. Maybe dance classes would be good for her. _A way to channel all that extra energy_ , he thought as he drove.

 

When they got home, Zach pulled out the parent directory that was distributed from the kindergarten teacher the first day of school. He looked up Mrs. Prince’s phone number and dialed it into his phone.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi, is this Mrs. Prince, Ellie’s mom?”

 

“It is, who is this?”

 

“This is Zach Rance, Emma’s dad.”

 

“Oh, hello Mr. Rance, what is it then?”

 

“You can call me Zach. I was just wondering. Emma came home asking for dancing classes today. I was wondering where you send Ellie for hers.”

 

“We take Ellie up to Boca to a place called the Grande Academy of Dance. It’s really well known and the teachers are excellent. The owner Frankie actually teaches a lot of the classes.”

 

“Do you know if they have openings?”

 

“How old is Emma?”

 

“Just turned 6.”

 

“You should enroll her in the camp this summer. It’s a week in July runs Monday to Friday 9 to 5 especially for 6-8 year olds with little or no experience. Ellie’s going.”

 

“I don’t think I’d have time to get her up to Boca and with work. I work 9 to 5 in downtown Fort Lauderdale.”

 

“If she goes you could drop her off at our house in the morning and I can take them both and pick them up if you sign off that it’s okay for me to pick up Emma. I’m sure the girls would love it.”

 

“Are you sure that’s okay. I could pay you for watching her maybe.”

 

“It’s totally fine, Zach. Do you want their number? The camps usually fill up pretty soon.”

 

“If you have it,” Zach responded.

 

“Just a minute. Let me find that paper,” Mrs. Prince said. Zach could hear a shuffle of papers on the other end of the phone line until finally she spoke again. “Here it is. 561-555-9692,” she said. “And you can call me Kelly.”

 

“Thanks, Kelly. I’ll let you know once I get her enrolled and everything thing. Thanks again.”

 

“No problem. The girls will love it. Have a nice evening, Zach.”

 

“Thank you; you, too.” Zach ended the call and quickly dialed the number Kelly had given him while he walked into the living room to make sure Emma was still playing quietly with her doll house that she had set up in the middle of the floor. Tiger was lying next to her watching as she had he dolls go about their days in the house.

 

“Hello, thank you for calling Grande Academy of Dance in Boca Raton, FL. This is Cathy speaking, how can I help you?”

 

“Hello,” Zach said quiet as he walked back into the kitchen. “I was calling about possibly enrolling my daughter in a camp? I heard about it from another girl’s mother.”

 

“Which age group were you inquiring for?”

 

“Well my daughter just turned 6.  Her friends is going to be in a camp in July for ages 6-8 from what he mother told me…”

 

“The little princesses camp, okay. There are still openings, has you daughter ever taken dance classes before?”

 

“No.”

 

“We’ll have to schedule a time for you to bring your daughter in so we can evaluate her and make sure she’ll be able to keep up with that camp. Most of the students have taken a year of our classes before they go to that camp.”

 

“Um…I woke during the day and she’s still in school.”

 

“That’s fine. Our evals are usually on Saturday mornings. Let me see when Frankie would be available since he’s running that camp,” Cathy remarked and then fell silent. Zach could hear her quick key strokes over the phone as he waited. “Would you be available on Saturday the May 15 around 11am?”

 

“Let me check my calendar,” Zach said as he flipped the pagers of his organizer. “Yes, that should work.”

 

“Okay, the student's name please?”

 

“Emma Rance.”

 

“Spell the last name please.”

 

“R-A-N-C-E.”

 

“And her date of birth?” Cathy asked. Zach quickly gave all the information she requested over the phone and scribbled the appointment onto his calendar. He had an address for his GPS and they’d be ready to go to Boca in a couple weeks. Zach smiled as he tucked his phone back into his pocket and started making dinner for himself and Emma.


	2. Chapter 2

“Emma, we’re going to be late, hurry up,” Zach said loudly in the direction of his daughter’s open bedroom door. He was standing in the entryway of their apartment while Emma went to get her brand new ballet shoes from her bedroom.

 

“I can’t find them, Daddy!”

 

“I told you not to take them out of the box, Emma,” he sighed. Zach reclosed the door and ran across the living room to Emma’s bedroom. “They’re right here,” he said a few seconds after entering the room. He picked up the shoes and put his other hand on Emma’s back leading her from the room. “Get the light,” he said pausing by the door.

 

Emma had to stand on her tiptoes but she flipped the light switch and they walked back across the living room. Tiger who was already locked in his crate whined when Zach opened the door. “We’ll be back soon, boy,” Zach said. Once they were outside, Zach got Emma into her booster seat in the back of the car. He then got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

 

It was a twenty minute drive to the studio from their apartment according to the directions Zach had pulled up on his phone. He sighed as he pulled out of the development looking at the clock. It was almost quarter till eleven. Zach drove as quickly as he dared with his daughter in the car, which was barely over the speed limit. They pulled into the parking lot outside the studio at 11:03 and quickly got out of the car. They were nearly to the door when they realized Emma had left her ballet shoes in the backseat, so Zach ran back and got them while she waited. By the time they had everything they needed in hand and walked into the lobby it was 11:09.

 

Zach watched as a man with startlingly pink hair picked up the phone behind the desk and started to dial a phone number. Zach’s phone was vibrating in his pocket before he realized what was happening. “Hello?”

 

“OH!” the man jumped a few feet backwards and hung up the phone. “Mr. Rance?” Zach nodded. “And this must be Emma, yes?” Emma and Zach both nodded. “Your friend Ellie tells me you’re a really good dancer, Emma, do you think you can show me some moves?” Emma nodded with a huge smile. “Right this way then,” the man said leading Zach and Emma back a long hallway. He stopped outside a door labeled “Studio A” and opened the door. “In you go,” he said as he held the door open. “I’m Mr. Grande by the way, but you can call me Frankie,” he added as he shook Zach’s hand as they entered the studio.

 

“Mr. Rance?”

 

“You can call me Zach.”

 

“Zach then, you can have a seat in that chair if you’d like. This shouldn’t take too long,” Frankie instructed pointing towards a chair in a corner of the room. “Emma! Have you tried your new shoes on yet?” She nodded. “Good, can you put them on now for me? It’s okay if you need help.” Emma shook her head and sat on the floor. She pulled off her sandals and pulled on the ballet slippers without problem and got back to her feet. “Can you give your other shoes to you Daddy to hold while we dance please?”

 

Emma nodded and picked up her sandals. She ran to where Zach was sitting and handed him the shoes. “Thank you,” he said quietly. Emma didn’t respond instead running back to where Frankie was waiting for her.

 

“The first thing we need to do when we’re going to dance is stretch,” Frankie said slowly. “Do what I do, okay, Emma?” Emma nodded. Frankie sat on the floor and spread his legs. He started doing a variety of basic dancer stretches and Emma was matching him in perfect miniature as he moved. Zach couldn’t help but watch Frankie as he moved. Each movement precise yet delicate. Zach failed to even watch Emma, but luckily Frankie was watching in the large mirrored wall in front of them. “Very good,” Frankie said after a few minutes. “Now we’re going to do across-the-floor exercises, okay?” Emma nodded and followed Frankie to the far wall of the room. As they walked across the room, Zach’s eyes stayed focused on Frankie, his gracefulness was astounding as he moved.

 

“This is called a batma kick,” Frankie said as he demonstrated the move. “I want you to do as many as you can across the room, okay?” Emma nodded and emulated the move perfectly the whole way across the room to the other wall, but Zach wasn’t watching his daughter. His eyes were still locked on Frankie. His face now, he was watching as Frankie watched Emma and his eyes flickered a beautiful shade of brown.

 

“Perfect, you’re a very quick learner, Emma,” Frankie said. It was then that his eyes flickered to Zach’s. Zach blushed a deep shade of red and quickly looked. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem keeping up at princess camp this summer, but let’s try a few more things first, okay?” Frankie asked, his attention back on Emma.

 

“Okay!” Emma said excitedly, causing Zach to look at her and smile. She followed Frankie back to the center of the room where he taught her the first three positions in ballet and a basic plie and releve. Zach was more careful after that. He tried to watch Emma instead of Frankie but it never quite worked. His eyes continued to flicker back to Frankie’s graceful movements.

 

It wasn’t quite 11:30 when they finished. While Emma changed back into her sandals Frankie spoke to Zach in the corner. “I think she’ll do great at the princess camp. I’d love to see her in classes next fall, too. She has a real natural talent,” Frankie said quietly.

 

“Thank you?” Zach said unsure. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say and Frankie was standing so close that he could see the little beads of sweat glistening on his neck and it was rather distracting. “Um…can we register her for the camp and we’ll talk about next fall when we make it through that?” Frankie nodded. Emma hopped over to join them as Frankie opened the door. She was carrying her ballet slippers in one hand and her other hand immediately reached for Zach’s.

 

They exited the studio and Frankie locked the door. “Just in the office there,” Frankie said pointing to a door off the main lobby. “I have the form you can fill out to register her for camp while you’re here.”

 

Zach nodded and released Emma’s hand. “How about you sit in one of those chairs and wait for us, okay?” he said quietly and she nodded. Emma skipped to the chair and hopped up onto it, hugging her ballet slippers as if they were her favorite teddy bear. “Are you excited, Emma?” Zach said with a little laugh. She nodded bashfully.

 

Frankie returned with a little packet of papers which he handed to Zach over the desk. “You can fill them out now or take them along and mail them in with the tuition.”

 

“How much is the tuition?” Zach asked, finally realizing they hadn’t even discussed that.

 

“275 for camp and an extra 25 for today, but if she gets through camp as well as I think she might, she could easily be in the running for one of our scholarships for classes next school year if you meet the requirements,” Frankie said quickly as Zach started filling out the forms. “I’m just going to go lock up, you can stay her and fill those out if you’d like.”

 

A moment later when Zach looked up from the papers Frankie was gone. “Emma, are you very sure you want do this?” She nodded vigorously. “Okay,” he said pulling out his wallet wondering if the studio was capable of accepting one of his credit cards for the payment. By the time Frankie returned from locking up the studios Zach had all the paperwork filled out and a credit card in his hand. “Can you take a credit card?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Frankie said sitting down behind the desk. “Cathy usually does this, but I think I still remember how,” he said as he logged into the computer. A few minutes later Frankie was sucking on his bottom lip deep in thought and Zach caught himself wondering what Frankie’s lips might taste like. When he realized what he was thinking, Zach flushed a shade a deep scarlet and shook his head rapidly. He was very, very straight and not looking for a relationship anyway. Emma and Tiger kept him busy enough. Plus, this was going to be his daughter’s dance teacher, he couldn’t very well date his daughter’s teacher. But why was that even a thought in his head. _I’m straight_ , he mumbled under his breath. _Calm down, Zach,_ he continued. He was glad when Frankie didn’t hear him.

 

“The card?” Frankie asked finally looking up at Zach as the scarlet coloring faded from his cheeks. Zach handed the card to Frankie and he quickly started typing numbers into the computer system. “Do you have ID on you?” he asked flipping the card over to enter the security code into the system. Zach nodded and pulled out his driver’s license which he also handed to Frankie.

 

“Never mind that picture. I have to get a new one soon,” Zach said, finding himself embarrassed again as he took the ID and credit card back from Frankie.

 

“I didn’t even look,” Frankie said with a smirk.

 

“Thank you,” Zach said quietly. “Is that everything then?”

 

“Yes it should be. Did you have any questions for me that we haven’t already covered?”

 

 _What are you doing tonight? Did you notice me staring at you the whole time? Can I get your number? How are you so gorgeous? Why are you making me question my sexuality?_ Zach thought all these things but said none of them out loud. “Ellie’s mom will probably be picking her up from camp since I work in Fort Lauderdale until 5, did I need to sign something to say that’s okay?”

 

“Will you be dropping her off?”

 

“Probably,” Zach mumbled. That really wasn’t part of the plan.

 

“When you sign her in each morning you can state who will be picking her up in the evening.”

 

“Okay,” Zach said quietly. He could be late for work to drop her off at dance camp for a week, especially if it meant seeing Frankie every morning. He could do anything for that. Zach found himself lost in thoughts of Frankie again and shook his head. “I guess that’s all then. Thank you.”

 

“No problem, Mr. Rance. See you in July.”

 

“It’s Zach and yes, you will,” Zach said quickly. He turned around to Emma and asked, “Ready to go?” She nodded and got up from the chair taking Zach’s hand again as they walked back out into the parking lot.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hello?” Zach said as he answered a call from a number he didn’t recognize.

 

“Hey, Zach? This is Kelly Prince, Ellie’s mom.”

 

“Oh! Hey, Kelly. What’s up?”

 

“I just wanted to let you know that the dance recital is this Saturday afternoon. I thought you and Emma might like to come.”

 

“What time and where?”

 

“It starts at 2 and it’s in the auditorium at Pine Crest School in Boca. I can get you the address if you want.”

 

“Does it cost anything?”

 

“No. Do you think you’ll make it?”

 

“I’ll talk to Emma about it. If she wants to go, I’ll bring her. We don’t have plans this weekend.”

 

“Sounds good. Hope to see you there.”

 

“Yeah, thanks for letting me know.” The line clicked dead and Zach pushed his phone into his pocket. He crossed the space from the kitchen to the Emma’s bedroom door and poked his head inside. “Emma?”

 

“Yes, Daddy?” she answered, looking up from her dolls on the floor.

 

“Would you like to go to Ellie’s dance recital on Saturday afternoon?”

 

“Please can we?!?” she asked, jumping to her feet.

 

“If you want to.”

 

Emma ran to the where Zach was standing in the doorway and threw her arms around his waist. He patted at her back. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed as she let go.

 

***

 

As Zach and Emma watched the dancers gracefully display what they’d learned on the stage, Zach found his eyes flickering to the dark area just to the right of the stage. Sometimes Frankie would be visible there and other times he would be hidden entirely. Once about halfway through the show, Zach glanced at the dark space and caught Frankie’s eye. Frankie winked and Zach felt himself go a deep shade of scarlet.

 

When the last group of dancers left the stage, Frankie replaced them. “I would like to remind everyone that in a few minutes there will be a free ice cream social outside the main doors through which you entered. All dancers and their families are invited including all past, present, and future students. Thank you again for coming and I look forward to speaking with many of you outside.”

 

Emma had been getting antsy through the last part of the show and was on her feet pulling Zach towards the exit a few seconds after Frankie had finished speaking. “Emma, stop pulling. Slow down,” Zach said quietly as they reached the lobby. “Do you want to wait for Ellie and tell her how good she did?” he asked. Emma nodded. “How about we get some ice cream while we wait?” Zach quickly suggested when he saw Frankie walking towards them. Frankie made him nervous, as if he needed to impress him for some reason he didn’t quite understand.

 

Before they made it through the doors, Emma turned and saw Frankie. “Mr. Grande!” she said happily.

 

“Hello again, Emma. Are you excited for camp next month?” Emma nodded. “Better go get your ice cream before they run out,” Frankie joked as he looked up to Zach. “Nice to see you again, Zach,” he said extending his hand towards Zach.

 

Zach took Frankie’s hand and shook it once before letting go. “Thank you,” he mumbled. “Why is the recital at Pine Crest anyway?” he asked, not sure what else to say.

 

“I went here when I was a kid.”

 

“Oh. I know what Pine Crest kids are like.”

 

“I need to go,” Frankie said with an angry glare in Zach’s direction.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“I’m not sure how you meant it then.”

 

“I don’t know. I shouldn’t have said anything. I apologize.”

 

“It’s quite alright. You’re lucky you’re cute,” Frankie said with a wink as he walked away.

 

Zach blushed slightly and took Emma’s hand, leading her outside towards the ice cream social. They were joined moments after their arrival by Kelly and Ellie. The two young girls sat and ate their ice cream, talking to one another. Ellie was Emma all about her dance classes with Mr. Grande and they both said how they couldn’t wait until dance camp in July.

 

Meanwhile Kelly and Zach were discussing plans for the week of camp. Zach would be picking Ellie up at 8:30 and dropping both girls off at the studio around 9. Kelly would pick them both up at 5 and take them to her house where Zach would pick up Emma around 6. “Friday afternoon they have a little recital, are you taking off for that?” Kelly asked as they all tossed their ice cream bowls into the trash can.

 

“I’ll have to talk to my boss. I may take a personal day,” Zach said. He took Emma’s hand and they all headed for the parking lot.


	4. Chapter 4

“Good morning,” the lady behind the desk said as Zach led both girls inside the studio. “Here for camp?” Zach released their hands and nodded.

 

“Where do we go?”

 

“The children can head to Studio A, you’ll just need to check them in with me,” the lady instructed. “Ellie, you know where Studio A is don’t you?” Ellie nodded. “Why don’t you show your friend the way?”

 

“Okay, come on, Emma,” Ellie said happily. She grabbed Emma’s hand and they set off down the hallway carrying their little backpacks with their lunches and dance shoes inside. Zach stepped up to the desk as he watched them walk down the hall.

 

“So, you’ve brought Ellie Prince and is the other yours?” Zach nodded. “Name?”

 

“Emma Rance.”

 

The secretary clicked a few things on her tablet screen and looked back up at Zach. “Will you be picking them up as well?”

 

“No, Kelly will pick them both up,” Zach responded.

 

“I’ll need you to sign a release for her picking up your child,” she said, pulling out a piece of paper from the desk. She sat the paper in front of Zach and had him fill out his own name along with Emma’s information and then Kelly’s name.

 

“Does she need to sign one for me dropping Ellie off?”

 

“No, it’s just for pick up.”

 

“Okay, thank you,” Zach said as he sat the pen down next to the paper. “Is that everything then?” The lady nodded at him. “Thank you,” Zach said as he turned and left the building. Zach drove himself to his office and found himself slightly upset that he hadn’t gotten to see Frankie. He was looking forward to seeing him again.

 

***

 

“How was dance camp?” Zach asked as he buckled Emma into the back seat of the car.

 

“It was great. Mr. Grande is really funny. He told us stories and we danced lots and lots.” Zach smiled and kissed Emma’s forehead before closing the door and getting into the driver’s seat. Zach drove them home as Emma continued telling him all about her first day of dance camp. He stopped at a drive-thru for a quick dinner and when they got home he first let Tiger out into the yard and then sat down at the table with Emma to eat their dinners.

 

Zach decided he would use a personal day on Friday so he could be at the recital. Emma was excited that her daddy was going to watch her dance and Zach was excited to see Frankie again though he still didn’t quite understand why.

 

***

 

Zach dropped the girls off on Friday morning as he had all week and told Emma he’d be back at 4:00 for their recital as she hurried down the hall with Ellie, excited for camp. Zach spent the day in Palm Beach Gardens with his parents. Zach was sitting in the living room just chatting with his mother when his phone alarm went off in his pocket, it was 3:15. “I need to get going. Don’t want to be late for the recital,” Zach said, getting to his feet.

 

“It was good seeing you, Zachary,” his mom said. They hugged goodbye and Zach was on his way.

 

 

He got to the studio just before 4:00 and hurried inside. He followed the trail of other parents to a room labeled “Studio A” and went inside. Kelly was already there and she motioned for Zach to come sit next to her. Zach took his seat and looked around the room. It was a large practice studio that had been filled about halfway with a number of folding chairs that were filling up with parents and on the other side of the room, the twenty or so young girls were sitting on the floor. Zach waved to Emma when he caught her eye and she waved back with a wide smile.

 

After a few minutes, Frankie entered the room and shut the door. “Good afternoon, parents!” he said brightly. “We’ve prepared a very special dance for you,” he continued as the girls all got to their feet. “Girls, when you’re ready,” he said and this seemed to be a sign. They stopped talking to each other and got into their places for the dance. Zach tried to keep his eyes on Emma, but found himself again glancing to the side where Frankie was dancing along with the girls. He was more graceful than any of the children or really anyone Zach had seen before. Frankie caught Zach’s eye and winked at him when the dance was over and Zach felt himself blush deeply. “Thank you all for a great week of Princess Camp and hope to see you all in the fall for regular classes!” Frankie said as the girls were taking off their dance shoes. “And parents, registration for fall classes is now open, so feel free to stop at the desk on your way out and register.”

 

Once Emma had her shoes tucked away in her backpack, she slipped on her street shoes and quickly got to her feet, running to hug Zach who was waiting near the door. “Did you see me, Daddy? I love dancing!” Zach smiled and hugged her back.

 

“I saw you, beautiful girl. You were very good.”

 

“Thank you,” Emma said happily as Zach took her by the hand. “Can I take dance classes with Ellie and Mr. Grande next year?”

 

“I think that might be a possibility.” They reached the lobby and Zach walked over to the desk where the secretary from the mornings was sitting along with Frankie helping parents register their children for classes. Zach made a point to wait for Frankie, though his line was longer than the secretary’s and Emma was bouncing up and down by the time they reached the front.

 

“Emma did very well this week,” Frankie said as he looked at Zach. “I think she could do well in a Grade 1 class in the fall.”

 

“Okay, how much does it cost and what time does it meet?”

 

“Grade 1 will be meeting Thursday evenings at 6:00 this year. The cost is $960 for the full year, but we can do payments if you’d rather.”

 

“I’ll just pay for it all now,” Zach said pulling out his credit card. Zach paid for the classes and quickly filled out a few forms with contact information and then he took Emma’s hand again and was about to leave when there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Frankie standing only a few inches from him.

 

“This is for you, use it,” Frankie said with a wink. He slipped a business card into Zach’s hand. Zach turned the card over to find a phone number written with Frankie’s name above it. Zach looked over his shoulder to where Frankie had retaken his seat behind the desk and smiled. Frankie smiled at him and nodded a few times. Zach quickly took Emma’s hand and led her from the building with a smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Zach a little over a week and three beers to work up the nerve to actually call the number scribbled on the back of the business card Frankie had handed him. It was a Saturday night, surely Frankie would be busy and not answer. Zach rehearsed the voicemail he planned to leave almost a dozen times before he finally pressed send. Two rings later, Frankie answered. “Hello?”

 

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to answer,” Zach stumbled. “Uh, this is Zach…Zach Rance.”

 

“Hello, Zach. I wondered if you’d lost my card.”

 

“No, I…I just didn’t know what to say.”

 

“That’s okay,” Frankie said with an audible smile. “Are you busy tonight?”

 

“Just sitting at home having a couple beers.”

 

“Your daughter…”

 

“At my parents’ house for the weekend.”

 

“Want to go have some fun?”

 

“Uh, what did you have in mind?” Zach wanted to see Frankie, but he had no idea what pretense this would be under. Zach was straight though he thought Frankie was probably not.

 

“Dinner, movie, something simple,” Frankie said.

 

“Uh, I’m not gay you know…”

 

“Not a date. Just as friends,” Frankie said quickly.

 

“Where did you want to go?”

 

“Well, I live in Boca and I know you’re in Fort Lauderdale so how about you pick somewhere near you and I’ll drive down.”

 

“Have you ever been to Coconuts in Fort Lauderdale Beach?”

 

“One of my favorites, I’ll meet you there in an hour? Seven o’clock?”

 

“Sounds great.” They quickly said their goodbyes and Zach dropped his phone to the sofa next to his hip. This was not how he planned on spending his Saturday night but he wasn’t going to complain. The thought of seeing Frankie again had butterflies in his stomach like he was a teenager going on his first date, but this wasn’t a date. No, of course not. Frankie was a man and Zach didn’t date men. There was that one time in college where he got drunk and screwed around with one of his housemates, but he was drunk and that was years ago. Nevertheless Zach found himself getting giddy as the time to leave drew closer. He’d picked out a nice polo shirt and a pair of khaki golf shorts and changed into them after showering. He also chugged two big glasses of water trying to sober himself up from the three beers he’d consumed. Finally he looked at the clock on the microwave in his kitchen and saw that it was 6:40, he needed to leave if he was going to make it on time. He grabbed his keys from the hook inside the door and headed out to his car. He arrived at the restaurant just before the clock on his car radio clicked over to 7:00. He had no idea what kind of car Frankie drove so he couldn’t be sure if he’d arrived yet, but Zach climbed out of his car and walked towards the entrance.

 

When Zach was about to pull the door open, there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was once again inches from Frankie’s face. He felt himself blush as he took a step backwards. “Hey,” he said quietly.

 

“Hello,” Frankie responded. He opened the door and gestured for Zach to enter ahead of him. Zach mumbled his thanks and stepped up to the hostess stand.

 

“Hello, welcome to Coconuts, two?” the young girl behind the stand said quickly.

 

“Yeah,” Zach said trying to keep his eyes on the girl rather than Frankie.

 

“Right this way,” she said picking up two menus and leading them into the restaurant. They were sat at a small booth facing each other. The hostess told them their server would be right with them and then was gone.

 

“I haven’t been here in ages,” Frankie commented as they both flipped open their menus. They quickly decided on their dinners and when the server arrived they both ordered and handed over the menus. “So, what do you do, Zach? For work I mean.”

 

“I work at an accounting firm in Fort Lauderdale.”

 

“Where’d you grow up?”

 

“Palm Beach Gardens.”

 

Frankie smiled. “Is that where your parents’ live?” Zach nodded. “You’re close with them?”

 

“Family is everything to me,” Zach said quietly. “What about you? Family?”

 

“I was born in New York, but raised in Boca. My grandmother lives up in Delray Beach at a retirement center. I see her quite often. My mother and sister both live in Los Angeles. My sister’s actually rather famous.”

 

“Who’s your sister?”

 

“I thought my last name made it obvious. Ariana Grande.”

 

“I used to watch her on Sam & Cat with my brother!” Frankie laughed. “She’s an amazing singer.”

 

“So talented,” Frankie added. “So, you’re a single dad?”

 

Zach nodded. “I was married to Olivia but she died four years ago.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Frankie said quietly.

 

“She had a rare and aggressive form of cancer. We tried everything but nothing worked.”

 

“That’s so sad. I’m sorry for your loss.”

 

“Thank you,” Zach muttered as their server returned with their drinks. They spent the rest of the meal talking about their families and lives. Before they even realized it, it was nearly 9:00. “We’ve been here for two hours.”

 

“Doesn’t feel that long,” Frankie said quietly.

 

“No, it doesn’t,” Zach replied. They each paid their separate checks and got to their feet. As they walked towards the door, Frankie left his hand brush lightly over the back of Zach’s. Zach pulled his hand away. “If I were gay,” he said quickly.

 

“If only,” Frankie muttered as they reached the outside of the building. “Well, I had fun tonight. It was good to get to know you. Hopefully we can do this again sometime.”

 

“I agree. I had a lot of fun. You’re seriously the smartest, funniest person I’ve ever met. And those two things mean a lot to me.”

 

“You’re funny, too, and smart,” Frankie replied. They shared a brief hug and then headed in separate directions towards their respective cars.

 

Zach stayed in the parking lot for a few minutes just thinking about the two hours he’d spent with Frankie. He was pretty sure he’d laughed more in those two hours than he had in the past four years. Emma was right, he was hilarious. He was everything Zach loved in a person, but why’d he have to be a man. Zach wasn’t gay, but he was very much turned on by Frankie. If he was being honest the first time he laid eyes on Frankie he’d started to question whether he was gay, but no, he wasn’t. This was just a friendship with a very funny and very smart man who Zach had to admit he already sort of loved.


	6. Chapter 6

After that evening together they spent the following three Saturdays together for increasingly longer amounts of time. The weekend before school and dance classes were due to start, Emma was at her grandparents’ house in Palm Beach as usual. Frankie had offered to cook dinner for Zach, so he was currently driving up the interstate from Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton. As he pulled off the highway, he could feel the butterflies in his stomach, wings flapping a million miles an hour. This was the first time he’d been to Frankie’s house. They’d always met out at public places before. He was sure Frankie had a large house after all his sister was world famous pop sensation, Ariana Grande, but when he pulled into the long driveway his stomach did a somersault, the house was not only huge but incredibly beautiful. Zach parked as close to Frankie’s yellow convertible as he dared, leaving a gap big enough for another car between the two. He took two deep breaths and exhaled slowly before opening his door and getting out.

 

Zach’s stomach was still doing flips in nervous anticipation as he walked up the path from the driveway to the front door. He pressed the doorbell and heard it ding inside the house a few seconds later the door swung open away from him and Frankie was standing on the other side with sweat on his forehead. “Hello!” Frankie said happily, opening his arms towards Zach. Zach wrapped his arms around Frankie’s waist and his stomach calmed immediately though his heart did quite the opposite. Frankie buried his face against Zach’s neck and Zach was pretty sure he felt lips on his skin before they separated.

 

“Hey,” Zach whispered lamely after they were apart and he was inside the door. Frankie closed the door quickly and grabbed Zach’s hand, leading him towards the dining room.

 

“Have a seat!” Frankie instructed when they reached the room. Two places were set at one end of the extremely large table. “I’ll go get the food.”

 

“Let me help you,” Zach said.

 

“That’s not necessary, just sit down. It’ll only be a minute.” Zach tried to protest but Frankie wasn’t having it. Zach sat at one of the place settings and Frankie disappeared into the kitchen. Frankie returned a few seconds later carrying two plates of food. Each had a healthy sized serving of some sort of baked fish and steamed vegetables on the side. “What would you like to drink?” Frankie asked after he set both plates on the table.

 

Not knowing what to say, Zach hesitated. “Uh…what are you having?”

 

“Well, I have a bottle of wine we could open. I know you’re more of a beer drinker though.”

 

“A bottle of wine sounds perfect,” Zach said with a smile. Frankie returned the smile and disappeared back into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. He set the glasses on the tabled and pulled a corkscrew out of his pocket. He carefully opened the bottle of wine and poured some into each of the glasses before sitting at the other place setting.

 

“Go ahead,” Frankie said watching Zach carefully. Zach picked up his fork and started to eat. The food was delicious. They both ate rather quickly and there was just small talk about their lives over dinner. When they were both finished Frankie got to his feet and picked up both plates. “I’ll be right back,” he said and disappeared into the kitchen before Zach could protest. About a minute later, Frankie reappeared with a plate of oversized chocolate chip cookies. “Your favorite, right?” he said with a smile setting the plate on the table.

 

“You’re the actual best, you know that?” Zach said with excitement in his voice. He quickly picked up one of the cookies and started to take a bite.

 

“Want a glass of milk?” Frankie asked, still on his feet. Zach’s mouth was full but he nodded his head as he chewed. Frankie smiled and left the room again. He returned a minute later with two glasses of milk and returned to his seat at the table, picking up one of the cookies.

 

“These are delicious,” Zach said as he reached for a second cookie. “Everything was. You’re an amazing cook.”

 

“Thank you,” Frankie said, blushing slightly as he took a bite of his cookie. Once the cookies and milk were gone Frankie cleared the table telling Zach he would do the dishes later and not to worry about it even though Zach tried to insist he help clean up. “Come on, let’s watch a movie,” Frankie said as he grabbed Zach’s hand. Zach allowed himself to be lead through the house to the home theatre. Once there he sat on the large sofa and Frankie sat next to him, picking up the remote. “What shall we watch?” Frankie asked.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Zach said, so Frankie chose a movie from the Netflix menu and hit play on the remote. As the movie began Frankie reached to Zach’s hand, and Zach allowed him to interlock their fingers. Frankie smiled and leaned his head against Zach’s shoulder. By the end of the movie, Zach arm was wrapped around Frankie’s shoulders as they sat on the sofa together and Frankie’s head was settled against Zach’s chest. “That was a good movie,” Zach whispered.

 

“It was,” Frankie agreed. He then sat up and looked at Zach. “I guess you should probably get going, huh?”

 

“What time is it?” Zach asked as he pulled out his phone to check. “Eleven, already? Yeah, I guess I should probably go.”

 

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Frankie said and he got to his feet. He offered Zach his hand to get up and Zach took it. Frankie led Zach by their intertwined hands to the front door. “Tonight was nice,” Frankie said.

 

“Yeah,” Zach agreed with a smile. They hugged, lingering in each other’s arms for a long moment. Zach felt lips against his neck again as they parted. “See you Thursday,” Zach whispered.

 

“Thursday?”

 

“For Emma’s dance class.”

 

“Oh! I had completely forgot about that. Yes. See you Thursday then.”

 

Zach opened the door and was about to go when he spoke. “I love you,” he whispered.

 

“I love you, too,” Frankie whispered back. Zach smiled and pulled the door shut behind himself. He got into his car and drove home, a smile on his face the whole way.


	7. Chapter 7

Zach picked Emma up from day care at 5:30 on Thursday and headed straight for the dance studio in Boca. He’d grabbed Emma’s dance shoes in the morning to make sure they wouldn’t be late. They pulled into the studio’s parking lot at 5:53. Zach quickly got out of the car and opened Emma’s door. She undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the car with her dance shoes in her hands. Zach took Emma’s free hand in his and led her into the building.

 

“Grade 1?” the secretary asked as soon as they were through the door.

 

“Yeah,” Zach mumbled.

 

“Studio B. Down the hall to the right.”

 

Zach nodded and kept Emma’s hand in his as they walked down the hallway. He stopped outside the first door on the right which was labeled “Studio B” with a large sign. He opened the door and let Emma’s hand go as she walked inside. There were ten or so other girls around Emma’s age already in the room including Ellie. Emma immediately ran over and sat down next to her friend and started to remove her shoes. Frankie was standing near the front of the room and looked up as the door closed behind Zach. “Zach,” he mumbled with a smile.

 

“Hey, Frankie – er – Mr. Grande.” Frankie laughed and smiled at Zach.

 

“I’m glad to see you and Emma here for classes, Mr. Rance,” Frankie said.

 

“See you at 7,” Zach mumbled as he reached for the door. He looked to Emma who was already wearing her dance shoes and talking to Ellie. “Emma, I’m leaving, I’ll see you after your class.”

 

“Okay. Bye, Daddy,” Emma said looking up at him and waving.

 

Zach left the room quickly and headed back towards the lobby. He had an hour to kill in Boca with no plans. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Ellie’s Mom.

 

 _Zach_ – Where do you spend the hour they’re in class?

 _Kelly_ – There’s a Starbucks right across the road. A lot of parents hang out here, you’re welcome to join us.

 _Zach_ – Thanks. I’ll be right there.

 

Zach got into his car and drove across the street to the Starbucks. He got out of the car and headed inside. There was a group of 6 moms sitting together in the corner that he recognized from the recitals, Kelly among them. Zach walked over and sat down with them after he got a drink. The group made small talk for about 45 minutes and then they all headed for their cars and drove back across the street.

 

Just as Zach was opening the door to the building, he saw the door to Studio B open and girls start streaming out. Ellie and Emma were among the first to exit. Emma ran to the door and opened it. She wrapped her arms around Zach’s waist and smiled up at him. “Thank you so much, Daddy. Dance class is so much fun!”

 

Zach smiled at patted at Emma’s back. He watched as the rest of her class streamed from the room and then Frankie appeared and they caught each other’s eye. Frankie winked and Zach blushed. “I’m glad you had fun, Emma.” Zach took Emma’s hand and turned around. Before he could even take a step, there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Frankie a few inches from his face.

 

“Will I see you Saturday?” he asked quietly.

 

“I’ll let you know,” Zach mumbled.

 

Zach led Emma to the car and got her buckled in before settling into the driver’s seat. “What’s Saturday, Daddy?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Mr. Grande asked if he’ll see you Saturday. What’s Saturday?”

 

“Oh, nothing.”

 

“Why did he ask you that?”

 

“I don’t know, Emma. Just forget about it.” This was exactly what Zach was afraid of. He couldn’t keep seeing his daughter’s dance teacher. Something about it just wasn’t right. And sure he wasn’t gay, but he was pretty sure he was in love with Frankie. He had to stop this before it got out of hand. He was determined to put an end to it, but yet the thought of only seeing Frankie as his daughter’s teacher was hard to think about.

 

 

***

 

 _Frankie –_ So, am I seeing you this weekend?

 _Zach –_ I don’t think we should be seeing each other. Emma questioned me about why you asked about Saturday on Thursday night.

 _Frankie –_ What did you tell her?

 _Zach –_ I told her I didn’t know why you asked and said to forget about it.

 _Frankie –_ Do you not want to see me anymore?

 _Zach –_ I just think it would be best to keep our relationship to teacher-parent interactions.

 _Frankie –_ You said you loved me.

 _Zach –_ I do.

 _Frankie –_ Then why are you trying to break this off.

 _Zach –_ It’s not like that. We’re not dating. I’m not breaking up with you because we were never together. I’m not gay, Frankie.

 _Frankie –_ I never said you were. But you said you loved me. I thought we were friends.

 _Zach –_ We are.

 _Frankie –_ Then why won’t you see me?

 _Zach –_ I just don’t want Emma to get involved…

 _Frankie –_ She doesn’t have to know.

 _Zach –_ She doesn’t go to Palm Beach during school. We usually spend the weekends together.

 _Frankie –_ Oh. I wish I knew what to tell you.

 _Zach –_ Not this weekend, okay? I’ll try to figure something out.

 _Frankie –_ Okay.


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks passed. Zach did his best to avoid eye contact with Frankie when dropping Emma off and picking her up from classes and Frankie didn’t text to call.

 

“Grandma wants you to come visit this weekend, Emma, is that okay?”

 

“Okay!” Emma said happily.

 

 _That was easy_ , Zach thought. So, on Friday evening Zach drove Emma to Palm Beach Gardens are dropped her off at his parents’ house. He stayed for Shabbat dinner and then drove home, alone. When he got home, he pulled out his phone.

 

 _Zach –_ Emma’s in Palm Beach this weekend.

 _Frankie –_ Does that mean you’ll speak to me?

 _Zach –_ I’m sorry.

 _Frankie –_ Why don’t you come for dinner tomorrow night and we’ll talk about it.

 _Zach –_ Okay.

 _Frankie –_ 7 o’clock.

  _Zach –_ Okay. See you then.

 

***

 

The next night at 6:30, Zach got in his car and headed north towards Boca. He arrived outside Frankie’s house at just before 7. He got out of the car and walked up the path to the front door. He knocked and then waited. The door swung open a few seconds later and Frankie was standing in the entry waiting for him. “Hello,” Frankie said slowly.

 

“Hey,” Zach said as he opened his arms towards Frankie. Frankie stepped forward into Zach’s arms and they hugged, lingering perhaps a little longer than friends would. “I’m sorry,” Zach mumbled when they separated.

 

“Let’s eat,” was all Frankie said as he led Zach to the dining room. The table was already set and two plates of food were waiting. Zach took a seat and Frankie sat in the other. Neither of them said anything as they began to eat.

 

After a few bites, Zach couldn’t take the silence anymore. “I really am sorry.”

 

“I’m not sure what for. I’m the one that fell for a straight guy and the father of a student.”

 

“It’s not entirely your fault. I’m the one that couldn’t take my eyes off you.”

 

“But you’re not gay as you so kindly continue to remind me.”

 

“The only thing I know is that I fell in love with you. Does it make me gay if I’m in love with a homosexual?” Zach asked quietly.

 

“Not necessarily. Sexuality isn’t black and white. There’s a whole lot of grey space.” Frankie proceeded to explain to Zach the Kinsey Scale and all about the grey space in the sexuality spectrum.

 

“So, I don’t have to have a label?”

 

“Not if you don’t want one. No labels is part of the grey space.”

 

“I’m not gay, but I’m not completely straight either.”

 

Frankie smiled and nodded. He got to his feet and picked up both plates. He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later empty handed. “Want to watch a movie again?”

 

“Does that mean we’re going to cuddle again?”

 

“If you want…I mean…”

 

“I want. I liked cuddling with you.” Frankie led the way to the home theatre and they both sat on the sofa. Frankie curled up into Zach’s arms as he chose a movie from the Netflix menu. The movie started and they both watched, snuggling into each other’s arms. The movie ended and Zach pressed a kiss into the top of Frankie’s head. “I love you,” he whispered as he pulled away.

 

“I love you, too,” Frankie replied.

 

“Can…can I kiss you?” Zach mumbled. Frankie smiled and nodded. “I’ve wanted to ever since I met you,” Zach said quietly.

 

“Me, too,” Frankie whispered. Then they both leaned slightly forward and their lips met. Slowly at first their mouths moved together then Zach trailed his tongue over Frankie’s lower lip and Frankie’s lips parted so their tongues met. They explored each other’s mouths wanting to taste every bit that they could. Eventually Frankie broke the kiss and allowed his head to fall back to Zach’s chest, leaving them both panting for breath. “I love you,” Frankie breathed.

 

“I love you, too,” Zach panted back. A few minutes later when they both had caught their breath, Zach pulled his phone from his pocket. “It’s almost midnight,” he mumbled.

 

“Is it really?” Frankie asked. Zach nodded and flipped the phone around, showing Frankie the time and his lock screen.

 

“That’s a beautiful picture of Emma,” Frankie said with a smile.

 

“Thanks. She’s my world.”

 

“I hope I can be part of your world, too,” Frankie said quietly.

 

“You already are. I just don’t know how to tell Emma. She’s only 6. I don’t know if she’ll understand. I mean I barely understand how we’re connected.”

 

“She doesn’t need to know. Not yet. Not now.”

 

“I don’t like hiding things from her.”

 

“Have you not dated since your wife?” Zach shook his head. “Maybe tell her we’re really good friends? It’s up to you.”

 

“Is that what we are? Really good friends?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“I thought we were more than that.”

 

“Are we? I don’t know what you’re comfortable with.”

 

“I don’t know what we are but we’re more than friends after that kiss.”

 

“Dating? Boyfriends? I don’t know, Zach. It’s really up to you.”

 

“Dating? Seeing each other? Together? Boyfriends?”

 

“What are you going to tell Emma?”

 

“I don’t know.” They talked about it a little longer and eventually agreed on boyfriends.


	9. Chapter 9

The first week of October was visiting week at the Grande Academy of Dance, so instead of dropping Emma off near the door and then heading for Starbucks, Zach parked in about the center of the parking lot. Zach got out of the car and opened Emma’s door. She had already unbuckled herself and was holding her dance bag that contained her ballet slippers. Zach allowed Emma to take his hand and pull him along as she headed for the building. Once they were inside the secretary had Zach sign in and then Emma led her daddy back the hall to Studio B. There was a cluster of parents (nearly all mothers, with two other fathers) on one side of the room and a cluster of dancers putting their shoes on on the opposite side. Emma ran to sit next to Ellie as Zach joined the crowd of parents. Greeting the ones he knew from their weekly Starbucks outings. A few minutes later Frankie entered the room and most of the young girls yelled his name. “Mr.Grande!”

 

“Hello, girls. And hello, parents! Welcome to visiting week.” Frankie said as his eyes found Zach’s. “There are a few folding chairs in that closet there or you may stand or sit on the floor.” He said indicating a door in the back of the room. Zach stayed where he was while a few of the mothers went in search of chairs. Both of the other fathers dropped to the floor, but Zach continued to stand along with a couple of the mothers who hadn’t gotten chairs. “Alright, we’re going to run this just like any other class so the parents can see what it is we do every week.” Frankie’s eyes left Zach’s and moved to the crowd of students on the opposite side of the room. “Are you ready, girls?”

 

“Yes, Mr. Grande,” they all spoke in near unison.

 

“Alright. First let’s stretch. Stretching is very important so we don’t hurt ourselves when we’re dancing.” Frankie led the class in a number of different stretches before telling them to line up along one of the walls. “Now, we’re going to do across the floor exercises. Let’s start with our kicks today. Everyone ready?” The girls nodded. “Do as many Batma kicks as you can in time to the music,” Frankie instructed as he fiddled with a radio. Frankie then counted them in and the girls were kicking their way across the floor.

 

After they were finished with their across the floor exercises the girls got into their places and Frankie led them through a few more stationary exercises. “Now let’s show your mommies and daddies what we’ve learned of our dance.” The girls shifted around a bit and all got into position and Frankie turned the music on. They danced for about half the song and then stopped when Frankie stopped the music. “Very good, girls, but I think we can do it better. Remember to count.” The girls got into position and he started the music again. They did the dance five or six times until Frankie announced it was time for cool down. All the girls sat in their places and Frankie led them through another series of stretches before announcing class was done for the week. He then turned to the parents. “Any questions?” No one spoke. “It was great having you all here with us this week, I hope to see you all for the Winter Recital in December.”

 

The girls all returned to their bags and changed shoes while the parents talked amongst themselves. Frankie walked up behind Zach and put a hand on his shoulder. “So, I was thinking,” he said as Zach turned around to face him. “If you and Emma aren’t busy after this maybe we could all go somewhere for dinner?”

 

“We usually just stop at a drive-thru on the way home, but that sounds nice. It’s about time Emma knows about us anyway.” Frankie smiled and went back to packing away the radio and his own dance shoes. “Emma, are you ready?” Zach asked as he walked over to where she was sitting.

 

“Yep!” Emma popped as she quickly got to her feet.

 

“Okay, what do you think about going out for dinner with Mr. Grande tonight?”

 

“That sounds fun! Can we? Can we?”

 

“Yep. That’s what Mr. Grande and I were talking about. So let’s go wait for him in the lobby, okay?” Emma nodded and took Zach’s hand. They walked out to the lobby and watched as the rest of Emma’s class left and older students started coming in for their later classes.

 

Frankie followed the last of the students and parents from Studio B and came to the lobby. “I’ll be right out, just have to stick this stuff in the office,” he said holding up the radio and his dance shoes. He went into the office behind the reception desk and quickly reappear. “Okay. All ready?”

 

“Yep. Emma’s very excited to have dinner with you.”

 

“I’m very excited to have dinner with Emma, and you of course,” Frankie said with a smile. They walked to the parking lot. “Where would you like to go?”

 

“There’s an Italian place up the road I’ve been meaning to try?”

 

“I know where you mean. I’ve been there. It’s delicious.”

 

“Perfect. Meet you there,” Zach said as he led Emma to their car by the hand. Frankie got into his bright yellow convertible and put the top down before pulling out of the parking lot. Zach followed him and they arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later. Zach helped Emma out of the car and took her hand as they crossed the parking lot to the door where Frankie was already waiting for them. “Hello again,” Zach mumbled. He released Emma’s hand and hugged Frankie quickly.

 

“Why are you hugging Mr. Grande, Daddy?”

 

“Because, Daddy and Mr. Grande have been seeing each other on weekend when you go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Is that okay?”

 

“I want to see Mr. Grande on weekends!”

 

“Maybe sometimes you can,” Frankie said quickly. He opened the door and led the way inside. They were seated after just a couple minutes of waiting. They ordered drinks and Zach helped Emma look over the children’s menu and decide what she wanted to eat before looking at the full menu for himself. When the waitress returned with their drinks they all ordered their food.

 

“Emma,” Zach said after a few seconds, interrupting her from coloring.

 

“Yes, Daddy?”

 

“Can I tell you something very important?”

 

“Yes,” she said dropping her crayons to the table.

 

“Daddy and Mr. Grande are dating each other. We’re boyfriends. Is that okay?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Daddy and Mr. Grande love each other and spend a lot of time together when you’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

 

“Think you can share your daddy with me?” Frankie said quietly. Emma nodded. “Good.” The discussion continued for a few more minutes until they were sure Emma understood. Emma went back to coloring and Zach and Frankie talked about how nice it was for Emma to know.

 

“I don’t know what my parents are going to say,” Zach said, sounding worried.

 

“They don’t know?”

 

“I told them I was seeing someone, but that’s it. I’m sure they assume the someone is female. My mom will probably be okay with it, but my dad…”

 

“Maybe Saturday we should have dinner with them. Let them get to know me.”

 

Zach swallowed hard. “I’ll talk to them and see.”


	10. Chapter 10

It was just before 5:00 on Saturday. Emma was dressed and ready to go. Zach was still deciding which shirt to wear. “Daddy, it’s five o’clock,” Emma called from the living room where she was sitting watching cartoons while Zach finished getting ready.

 

“Okay, sweetheart. I’m almost ready,” Zach called back as he slipped a shirt over his head. He looked at himself in the mirror, tried to flatten out the wrinkles in his shirt and then walked out into the living room. “Ready?” he said as he walked toward where Emma was sitting.

 

“Ready!” she said enthusiastically. She jumped to her feet as Zach turned off the TV. “Is Uncle Peyton going to be there?”

 

“I think so.” Peyton was Zach’s younger brother. He was 24 and living in an apartment in Palm Beach Gardens while he pursued a career as a professional golfer.

 

“YAY!” Emma said as she jumped in a circle. Zach laughed and took her hand as they headed for the door. Zach locked the door behind them and unlocked the car doors. Emma got herself buckled in and Zach closed the door before climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the car.

 

Zach took the now familiar drive towards Boca. He turned off the highway and headed for Frankie’s house. He pulled into the driveway just after 5:30 and Frankie immediately came out the front door. He locked the door behind himself and walked to the passenger’s side of Zach’s car. Zach unlocked the door and Frankie got in. “Mr. Grande!”

 

“Hello, Emma. How are you?”

 

“Good!”

 

“So, I think my brother’s coming, too,” Zach said as he pulled out of Frankie’s development. “But it’s my dad I’m worried about.”

 

“What did you tell them?”

 

“I asked if it was okay if brought someone over for dinner tonight and when my mom asked if it was the person I’d been seeing I said yes. I’m pretty sure they still think I’m bringing a girl.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell them?”

 

“Because my dad’s going flip out. He’s really homophobic.”

 

Frankie was quiet for a long moment. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

 

“It has to happen sometime,” Zach mumbled.

 

“Okay,” Frankie said quietly. There was a tension in the air you could cut with a knife the rest of the ride to Palm Beach Gardens.

 

Zach parked in front of his parents’ house and took a deep breath. Before he could even open the door, Peyton was running out to greet them. Zach opened Emma’s door and Emma ran up to her uncle and wrapped her arms around his waist. Peyton smiled and picked Emma up from the ground, hugging her tightly. Zach closed both his and Emma’s doors and walked around the car. He opened Frankie’s door and offered him his hand.

 

“I’m not so sure about this,” Frankie mumbled as he got to his feet.

 

“We can leave at any time, okay? You just tell me when.” Frankie nodded and closed the car door. At that moment Peyton turned around and saw Zach still holding Frankie’s hand and his jaw dropped as he set Emma back on her feet. “Peyton,” Zach said quietly. “This is Frankie, my boyfriend.”

 

“ _Boyfriend_? Does Dad know?” Zach shook his head. “This’ll be a fun night,” Peyton laughed. He turned back around to Emma and took her by the hand, opening the front door of the house. She pulled him inside and immediately to the room that used to be Zach’s but was now Emma’s when she was visiting. The door was left standing open, Zach could see his mom in the kitchen and the back of his dad’s head from where he was sitting watching TV in the family room.

 

Zach squeezed Frankie’s hand and led him inside, closing the door behind them. His mom looked up from what she was doing in the kitchen and her eyes went wide. His dad turned around in his seat and first smiled at Zach, then seeming to notice Frankie is smile turned into a grimace. “Zach,” his mom said, coming into the room. “So nice to see you,” she said as she kissed his cheek. She turned to Frankie with a slightly forced smile. “What’s your name, dear?”

 

“Frankie,” Frankie said quietly.

 

“It’s nice to meet you. When Zach said he was bringing someone for dinner, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it’s a pleasure to have you,” she said shaking Frankie’s hand once before turning back to Zach. “I thought you were bringing the girl you’ve been seeing?”

 

“This is the person I’ve been seeing, Mom. Frankie’s my boyfriend.”

 

“The fuck is this?” Zach’s dad said angrily as he got to his feet and walked over to where they were standing. “Did you just say, this is your _boyfriend_ , Zachary?” Zach nodded and took a deep breath. “You’re not gay. You were married to a woman and had a baby for fuck’s sake. What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“I know I’m not gay, Dad. But I do love Frankie, so I’m not straight either. I’m somewhere in the middle where I don’t think there’s a label to accurately describe me.”

 

“You don’t love a man, Zachary. That’s not right. It’s not natural.”

 

“I do though, Dad. I actually properly love him. Being with him is the happiest I’ve been since Olivia died,” Zach said firmly, squeezing Frankie’s hand in his. “If you want us to leave, we will, but I’d really appreciate it if you got to know him before judging us both so harshly.” Zach’s dad left out a huff of air and took a step backwards. He didn’t say anything, but Zach assumed that meant they were allowed to stay. “Do you need any help, Mom?” Zach asked as he led Frankie towards the kitchen.

 

“Could you two set the table? I had your dad put the extra leaf in earlier.” Zach nodded and started getting out plates and silverware. He and Frankie then set the table for the five adults and Emma (who had a special child sized plate and utensils). Just as they finished up, Emma pulled Peyton out of her room by the hand.

 

“Uncle Peyton! This is Mr. Grande!”

 

“Mr. Grande?”

 

“My dance teacher!” Emma said as if it should have been obvious.

 

“You’re dating your daughter’s dance teacher?” Peyton asked, looking at Zach.

 

“Yeah, is that a problem?” Zach asked with a laugh.

 

Peyton just laughed and followed Emma into the family room. “Grandpa!”

 

“Hey there, Emma. I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”

 

Emma laughed and climbed into her grandfather’s lap. “Did you meet Mr. Grande? He’s the best dance teacher ever. He tells us funny stories and teaches us how to dance better.”

 

“Yes, Emma. I met him. Though I wish I was meeting him as your dance teacher and not as your father’s boyfriend.” Emma didn’t seem to understand, but she said nothing as her head fell against her grandpa’s shoulder.

 

“Dinner’s ready!” Zach’s mom called from the kitchen. They all found their seats around the table and Zach’s mom got drinks for everyone. “Everyone good?” They all nodded, so she took her seat next to her husband. Dinner was quiet, the elephant in the room apparent to everyone except Emma who was very happy to be sitting between her daddy and her uncle. When they’d finished their meal, Zach helped his mother clear the table and put leftovers away. Peyton had turned on some sporting event on the family room TV and was sitting on one of the sofas there. Emma was on the other sofa, already practically asleep in her grandpa’s lap.

 

Zach and Frankie walked over and sat next to Peyton, hands intertwined between them. When Zach’s mom was done cleaning up in the kitchen, she too joined them sitting next to her husband. “So Frankie,” she said ending the awkward silence in the room. “You’re a dance teacher?”

 

“Yes. I own the studio. Emma is quite the natural dancer. Had her in a summer camp this year and now for Grade 1 and she’s doing very well.”

 

“So how did you meet Zach?”

 

“That’s actually a funny story,” Zach answered. “Emma came home from school last year wanting dancing classes after hearing about them from her best friend Ellie, so I called up Ellie’s mom and asked where her daughter took classes and she gave me the number for Frankie’s studio. We met when I took Emma up to Boca for her evaluation.”

 

“So how did this happen?”

 

“When he enrolled Emma in classes at the end of camp,” Frankie said with a smirk. “I gave him my number on the back of a business card and about a week later he got up the courage to call me. We’ve spent nearly every Saturday since together.”

 

Zach’s dad cleared his throat. “Emma’s out like a light. I’ll put her to bed,” he said quietly.

 

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll go say good night before we leave.” He left carrying Emma towards her bedroom and returned a few minutes later alone.

 

“So Frankie, where are you from?” Zach’s dad asked as he returned to his seat.

 

“I was born in New York, but we moved to Boca when I was 10. I went to college in Pennsylvania and was on Broadway before opening my studio in Boca.”

 

“Do you have family?”

 

“My mom and sister live in LA. She’s actually a rather famous singer and actress, Ariana Grande?”

 

“Ariana Grande’s your sister?” Peyton asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Wow, we used to watch her on Sam and Cat! Remember that, Zach?”

 

“Yeah, that was the first thing I told Frankie when he told me who his sister was.” The three of them shared a laugh. “Well, we should probably get going,” Zach said when they’d calmed.

 

“Alright,” Zach’s mom said, getting to her feet. “We’ll bring Emma home tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you,” Zach said as he was hugged by his mother. “I’ll go say goodnight to her and then get her booster seat from the car.”


End file.
